Meat – Page 6 – garyskitchen.net

August 7, 2012August 7, 2012

Tomato Sauce 2

Tomato Sauce 2

2 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 large sweet onion, diced
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 carrot, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
1 T dried oregano
1 T dried basil
1 28 oz can tomatoes, puree
1 28 oz can tomatoes, crushed
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Brown sugar

Heat olive oil in an 8 quart stock pot.
Saute the carrot, onion, and celery until limp.
Add garlic, mushrooms, basil, and oregano. Saute for another minute.
Add both cans of tomatoes, simmer for 30-45 minutes.

This sauce recipe is a rough adaptation from the cookbook Cooking From an Italian Garden by Paola Scaravelli and Jon Cohen. The cookbook contains Italian vegetarian recipes (long story here). I’ve served this sauce on pasta and it’s OK. But rather than use this sauce as is, I’ve always used it as the base for my version of Sunday Gravy. My family never really cared for giant chunks of animal protein in their sauce. So Tomato Sauce 2 became my base for meatballs and sausage.

Tips – salt and pepper to taste. Use sugar only if the tomatoes are overly acidic. You’ll be glad you used an 8 quart pot once you toss in the meatballs. Italian Sausage and Beef Meatballs

July 29, 2012July 29, 2012

One Rotisserie Chicken , 50 Meals – #2 Spinach Salad

Spinach Salad

1 C canola oil
1/2 c sugar
1/3 c ketchup
1/4 c apple cider vinegar
1 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp salt
1 c chopped sweet onion

Mix the above ingredients together to make the dressing.

3 hard boiled eggs
1 can water chestnuts (optional)
6 strips bacon fried and crumbled ( NOT optional)
1 lb bagged spinach, baby and organic (if you can find it)

Toss the above ingredients together and pour the dressing over and mix

The date stamp on the electronic file for this recipe was 2007. Friends of ours across the street served this salad one night and we thought the spinach salad was the best we had tasted. This simple salad is a staple in our home for five years according to the date stamp

A couple of weeks ago we were at the same friend’s house for a rousing Friday evening of cards. I said we’ll bring dinner. We bought some prepared potato and corn salads, spinach salad, and one carved up rotisserie chicken. The reaction was somewhat surprising:

“We’ve never put chicken on this spinach salad before.”

And another simple supper recipe is born.

July 28, 2012July 28, 2012

Italian Meatloaf

Italian Meatloaf

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red pepper, seeded, small dice
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons (about 3 cloves) chopped garlic
2 pounds ground beef (or 1 pound ground turkey and 1 pound beef)
2 eggs
3/4 cup bread crumbs (Italian or Panko)
1 cup grated Parmesan
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons chopped basil leaves
1 tablespoon chopped parsley leaves
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a medium saute pan over medium heat and add the peppers, onions and garlic. Saute until just soft, remove to a plate and cool.
When the peppers and onions are cool, combine all of the remaining ingredients together.
Form the meat mixture into 2 loaf (brain) shapes on an oiled oven tray or baking dish.
Bake for approximately 50 to 60 minutes or until an instant-read thermometer registers 160 degrees F in the middle of the meatloaf. Remove from the oven and let rest for 5 minutes. Slice and serve.

When the kids were little I never made meatloaf. They hated meatloaf. When I was growing up as a kid my parents never made meatloaf. I hated meatloaf.

Time passes, people change, tastes change. I guess decades of going meatloaf-less made me want meatloaf more. I only started making meatloaf when MedFed began. MedFed is the code name for meals that freeze well that can be defrosted, heated up, and eaten by time starved medical school students who would quite frankly probably eat anything you put in front of them. The only problem with my new found meatloaf craving was finding the perfect recipe.

This recipe is adapted from the Food Network’s Michael Chiarello. It’s tasty, simple, and hearty. Serve this up with some loaded mashed potatoes and a green vegetable.

TIP – The recipe will make two meatloaves. There’s nothing better than a cold meatloaf sandwich the next day. I’ve also heard rumors that you can chop up this leftover meatloaf, heat it up in some marinara sauce, and serve over pasta. Sounds like something a medical school student would do.

Substituting dried for fresh herbs is OK. I usually make this with a mixture of beef and turkey. 85/15 is good. Don’t use ground turkey breast, use regular ground turkey.

July 28, 2012July 28, 2012

Makes perfect sense to me!

1000 Awesome Things

Toronto is home to some of the best hot dog street vendors in the world. Street meat, we call it proudly, waiting in lines to get char-grilled, crisp-on-the-outside, soft-on-the-inside, big, brown beautiful hot dogs. The dogs usually come set perfectly in a puffy, yellow bun, like a smiling child tucked tightly into bed. Yes, it’s a glowing little beef-tube of heaven, a spicy little meat-wand of joy, the perfect company for a movie or a long walk home after the bars.

Now, despite the powerful taste-punch to the mouth the street vendor hot dog delivers, I’m sorry to say there is just one little problem: my friend, there is spillage, and plenty of it. Hot dog vendors pride themselves on their never ending array of toppings, from spicy mustard to onions, pickles to olives, sauerkraut to banana peppers. It’s a delicious den of germs just sitting out on…

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July 22, 2012July 22, 2012

The Butcher’s Info Blog: On A Beef Chuck Roll

The Butcher’s Info Blog: On A Beef Chuck Roll.

via The Butcher’s Info Blog: On A Beef Chuck Roll.

I know the economy is pretty bad but I am absolutely convinced one of the reasons why some items in the grocery store go unsold is due to the fact that people don’t know what it is or don’t know how to cook it. My local market deep discounts meat a day or two before the last sale date. I love a bargain and the other day I found Country Style Boneless Beef Ribs selling for $2.29 a pound. The original price was $6 a pound. There were four packages begging passers by please buy me.

So I did. I’ve used this cut before and found the resulting dishes to be extremely flavorful so I wanted to know where on the animal it came from.

Chuck. Now you know.

July 20, 2012March 12, 2017

Turkey Ragu

Note – there is an updated version of this recipe.

I decided to leave the original intact.

Turkey Ragu

3-4 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
1 cup fresh mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup fresh green pepper, finely diced
1 pound ground turkey (use 85/15 or 93/7 mixtures. DO NOT use 100% breast meat)
2 T dried basil
1 T dried oregano
Pinch of Thyme
2 bay leaves
1/2 cup white wine
1 28 oz can tomatoes, finely diced, with juice
1 28 oz can tomatoes, crushed
1 6 oz can tomato paste
Extra virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
Brown sugar

1. Heat two tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil over high heat in a large saucepot. I
prefer the taste of Spanish olive oils and Borges is my favorite. If you can’t find
Borges look for the Star brand which is made by the same company. Substitute your
favorite regular olive oil if desired.

2. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and onion. Saute for a few minutes until limp.

3. Add more olive oil to prevent sticking and add the ground turkey. Break up the
meat and brown. Add basil, oregano, and thyme and continue browning until the
herbs become aromatic. With the heat still on high, add the wine and cook until the
wine is almost completely evaporated.

4. Add the can of diced tomatoes with juice. Toss in the bay leaves, mushrooms, and
green pepper. Stir until well mixed and lower heat to medium. The sauce ingredients
should be bubbling mildly. Leave uncovered until the tomatoes release their juices
and the liquid in the pot is mostly evaporated. This step concentrates the flavors and
will take 15 to 20 minutes.

5. When the sauce becomes thickened, add the can of crushed tomatoes and the can
of tomato paste. Stir to incorporate well. Partially cover, turn the heat to low, and
simmer for a minimum of one hour.

6. Taste for seasonings and add more basil or oregano if desired. Salt and pepper if
you must but there is plenty of salt in the canned tomatoes. If the tomatoes are
highly acidic, add brown sugar a half teaspoonful at a time until the acidity is reduced
to your liking. A little bit of sugar will cut the acidity and add smoothness to the
ragu.

7. Find some cooked pasta and plenty of grated cheese. Eat!

I used to make my meat sauce with ground beef. Somewhere along the way I started using ground turkey. You get a lighter sauce than a ragu made with beef. Try it. You’ll love this ragu.

Pantry Tip

Always have good quality canned tomatoes and paste in the pantry. A couple of cans of stewed tomatoes are also good to have on the shelf, especially if you open your fridge and find limp celery, one carrot, and no onions. If this sounds like your fridge, you might want to keep some dried onion flakes and garlic powder in the spice rack too.

Another Pantry Tip

San Marzano tomatoes make a big difference. The stuff from Italy is expensive so I’ve used San Marzano style organic from California. Over time I’ve come to appreciate the flavor boost you get from using dried versions of onion and garlic. I’m no longer a food snob who insists about everything fresh. It’s all about the flavor. Turkey Ragu 2 is the updated version of this ragu which incorporates some of these flavor boosting ingredients.

July 20, 2012July 20, 2012

Iki Marinade

Iki Marinade

1/4 C. olive oil

1/4 C. soy sauce

2 T. brown sugar

2 T. apple cider vinegar

2 T. ketchup

2 garlic cloves, smashed

Dash red pepper flakes

Makes enough marinade for 1 to 1.5 pounds of meat. Double the marinade recipe if you are cooking larger quantities. Works well with chicken and beef, but was originally crafted for pork.

The Story Behind Iki

A long time ago when the kids were small we had wonderful neighbors with a pool. Naturally I befriended them. We got into this entertaining rhythm where during the cooler months we would fix suppers befitting the season. And during the summers we were over to the neighbor’s backyard for grilling poolside. Our friends had friends from whom they got this marinade recipe. I remember these people well. Sam was from Venezuela and in the oil business. His wife was from the Philippines. Her name was Iki.

We really didn’t know what else to call this recipe. It was Iki’s marinade recipe. Over the years it just got shortened to Iki.

How about some Iki tonight? Certain to become a family favorite.

Tips

Flatten boneless chicken breasts so that the pieces cook evenly on the grill. If the breasts are large, halve them, then flatten. I prefer boneless thighs with this marinade. Again, flatten a bit before grilling. Marinate your meat at least one hour before cooking and bring the meat to room temperature before grilling.

Boneless country style pork ribs are wonderful with Iki.

If you’re not grilling, try marinating chicken breasts or thighs on the bone and roast in the oven.

July 18, 2012July 18, 2012

Honey Soy and/or Maple Marinade

Honey Soy Marinade

3/4 cup soy sauce

2/3 cup honey OR pure maple syrup

1/3 cup pineapple juice

The story behind this marinade is odd. Where do I begin? I’ll begin by saying I love marinades. You’ll love marinades too once you figure out that the factory farmed protein we pass off as real meat in this country really doesn’t have that much flavor. Remind me to tell you the story of the first steak I ate in Argentina. Yes, I’d move there for the beef!

For several years I’ve been making a simple baked salmon with Maple Soy Marinade. When I looked in my recipe file, I found this marinade. Honey, not maple syrup.

Huh?

At this point the best I can figure out is somehow, somewhere along the Path I substituted maple syrup for honey. It works. So I kept this simple marinade in my head until now when I realize it’s not the marinade I started with.

Try both. The maple syrup version works extremely well with salmon. I know I used the honey version with chicken. Play with it. Have fun. Eat well.

Warning. Use real maple syrup. I once used fake maple flavored syrup that consisted mostly of high fructose corn syrup and it is not the same.